I know, I know...
Sad but true - those once gorgeous hydrangea, when left out of water too long can look like an old fashioned kleenex flower at a rainy wedding! They are afterall called hydrangea for a good reason...
hydro - water - get it ?
Here is the rescue plan:
Step One:
Cut the stem - at least three inches from the bottom.
Why cut so much? The flower head is getting no water - the water cannot get up the stem - because it is the nature of the plant to form a scab at the bottom of the stem to lock in what ever moisture it can to keep it alive - seems rather counter productive
But! It is what it is !
Step Two:
Turn the scissors to the bottom of the stem - and slice up the stem - this allows more of the interior of the plant to be exposed to the water...
Step Three:
Place it in a vessel with room temperature water - not cold and not hot - with water deep enough to immerse nearly the full length of the stem - I have seen the hydrangea perk up once hydrated only then to wilt again as the water source reduces below the slit in the stem - dah ! of'course because it drank all the water!
Here is what that soggy hydrangea looked like twenty minutes later:
And Voila !!!
Here it is at the forty minute mark:
Sometimes, even for the seasoned gardener, this still doesn't work - for the life of me - I have no idea why - "it's all in the way you hold your mouth" my Grandpa used to say for the unexplained!
To review - the main trick is cutting up to slice the stem.
...And these scissors you ask?
Fabulous Joyce Chen florist scissors we bring in from New York - a must have ! $39.95
info@fromthepottingshed.com
Elaine